Burger Buds
by Denebola Leo
Summary: "What do you mean, you've never had a burger!" Zack gawked at his silver haired friend. Sephiroth had no retort, just a blank stare. Was he supposed to have eaten a burger?


**For Tocasia. But, he already knew that :D Crossposted from AO3.**

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"...Are you sure about this place, Zack?"

Zack gave his biggest grin and a firm nod to Sephiroth. "I go here all the time!"

Sephiroth gave the low lit pub a critical glance with his jade green cat eyes, catching every drop of spilled beer on the floor and every loud guffaw from customers too busy being drunk to realize a Shinra legend had just entered their midst.

It could be forgiven, of course. They were drunk and he was in street clothing. Blue denim jeans and a black hoody, with his hair tied into a looped tail that rested in the hood on his back. Zack was ever more noticeable, with dark blue denim jeans and a bright red jacket that partially covered a black and white shirt that had the logo for the Sector Five Behemoth's, his favorite baseball team. As Sephiroth's eyes reached the bartender, he noticed that at the very least he took notice of who had come waltzing through his door.

"Hey, Giorgio!" Zack waved at the bartender with one hand and dragged Sephiroth with him with the other, taking his friend to a quiet booth in the corner. The plush seating was covered in a dark green faux-leather, and the tables were a dark and polished wood. There was a napkin dispenser and a few condiments left to gather dust near the wall. Sephiroth noticed a few carvings in the wood here and there, such as one advertising a good time if one called up someone by the name of Jeb.

Sephiroth shifted his back around a little before attempting to lean into the back of the booth. Whoever was behind him was regaling a story about his time at the Honey Bee Inn.

"Hey Seph, why're ya blushin'?"

The silver haired man looked into the indigo eyes of his friend and shook his head. "Never you mind." He looked up at the shoddy light that shined yellow above their heads, then back at Zack. He tapped the fingers of a hand on the table. "You come here a lot," he said, half asking.

Zack nodded a few times. "Yeah! I go here with my other friends, and my girlfriend, too!"

"And you said they are very good at making...cheeseburgers."

"I still can't believe you've never had a burger, man." Zack rested his head in his hand as his elbow rested on the table. "Everyone eats burgers and fries."

"I highly doubt that. There is a Soldier Third Class that purportedly eats no meat," Sephiroth pointed out.

Zack made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Well, he can still have pizza."

Giorgio came over a moment later as Sephiroth held a slightly tense face. Zack ordered two pints of beer and gave the menu to his friend to look over. Silver brows creased together as Sephiroth looked it over, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. "You...make your own hamburger?"

"Uh-huh."

"...What do you put on yours?"

Zack started to list them off with his fingers. "I get a triple stack 'cause I'm usually pretty hungry from practice and squats. Then I get some Gongaga pepper jack, onion, and fire peppers. Oh, and some spicy ketchup and a little lettuce."

Sephiroth's mouth was partially open as his friend went over the monstrosity he had these poor sods make. Three patties? Where was Zack putting it all? How was he not dying of indigestion from the peppers? He blinked a few times, then looked at the menu again.

"Well hey, y'don't have to spice it up!" Zack pointed at one of the entries on the menu. "Like, my girlfriend gets hers with Midgar cheese and mustard, and a little tomato." His finger pointed at another list. "One of my best MP buds always gets a double mushroom and Kalm hole cheese with some sorta beef gravy. Said it reminds him of his hometown a little."

"I...see." Sephiroth looked through all the choices as their beer landed quietly on the table. "Mustard...goes with beef?" His eyes searched Zack's for an honest answer.

"On a burger, yeah. It gives it some zip."

"Huh." Sephiroth pointed at a cheese option. "Even with this?"

Zack shrugged. "Burgers are like pizza. Whatever combination you enjoy goes into it."

Sephiroth took in a short breath, then paused before confessing, "I have not eaten pizza, either."

"What? Have you lived in a tower your entire life—"

The silver haired Soldier rolled his eyes. "Shinra provides me with wholesome meals."

"That's great, but junk food is wholesome for your soul," Zack replied as he ran a hand over his black, wind swept spikes. "You gotta live a little, y'know?"

"That's why I'm here," Sephiroth said tersely. "I've made up my mind."

"Really? Great!" Zack cheerfully waved Giorgio over, asking for his regular, then listening to Sephiroth's order with interest. Giorgio left, and the dark haired man cocked his head. "That's gonna be your first burger?"

"From what I can gather from my usual meals, the flavors should mingle together just fine," Sephiroth proclaimed smugly.

"Well, yeah, I guess it will."

"How long will we wait?"

Zack took his phone out and checked the time. "Eh, fifteen minutes or so. Plenty of time to drink, right?"

Sephiroth looked at the beer like a cat looked at an underwhelming treat. "They had no wine?"

The dark haired Soldier put down his glass and wiped the foam from his upper lip. "Oh, come on Seph! Drink the common man's drink!"

Sephiroth lifted the mug. "And...you drink this often?"

"Yeah! Sometimes Aerith'll have one with me, and let me tell you, she can hold her liquor! Doesn't faze her! But my other buddy, Cloud, he's a featherweight. One big mug and he's off to the karaoke corner." Zack tapped his fingers as he looked towards a tiny, unused stage, then back into his friend's minty eyes. "Hey, maybe we can—"

"I can't sing."

"Neither can Cloud."

"Well, I won't."

After a little more talk between sips of beer(Which Sephiroth found not as objectionable a taste as he feared) their burgers arrived. Sephiroth tilted his head slightly at the mass of food on his chipped plate. It stood stout and proud, a tower of bread, meat, cheese and vegetables that smelled better than he expected. The fries were thick and golden, glistening with grease.

To Zack's bewilderment, Sephiroth unwrapped his napkin and grasped his knife and fork. "Dude, what are you doing?!"

Sephiroth raised his brow. "I'm going to eat my burger."

"With a knife and fork?"

He put them down and stared at his friend helplessly, but not entirely without irritation. Why did he come out here again? Because he wanted to spend time with Zack outside of work, he remembered. "Then how do I eat this?"

Zack grabbed his burger in his hand, then took a big bite out of it. He started to munch on his mouthful as his eyes teared up from the pepper fumes. "With your hands," he mumbled with his mouth full.

Sephiroth studied his burger, then carefully picked it up. "Won't the yolk break?"

Zack finally swallowed his bite with a long sigh. "Yeah. Burgers are messy, Seph. It's okay to be a little sloppy."

"Hm." Sephiroth's eyes lingered on his meal, looking over the cheeseburger with a fried egg on top. Closing his eyes he carefully took a bite...and found it to taste rather nice. Greasy as all hell, but it was good.

He washed it down with some of his beer, and he found it paired rather well with his food. "I like it," he simply stated.

"Ha, I knew ya would!" Zack was pacing himself with some fries to calm the fire in his mouth.

Sephiroth had a smile growing on his face as he continued to eat his dinner. He, Sephiroth, the greatest of Soldier, was enjoying a cheeseburger in a seedy pub. It felt normal, something far away from what he was. But, it was special, or felt that way to him.

As they quietly finished their meals Sephiroth leaned back into the booth and chuckled a little. "We should eat more junk food together."

Zack nodded as he polished off the rest of his beer. "Totally! And maybe I'll introduce you to my girlfriend, finally."

Sephiroth nodded. "I would love to, after we finish this mission to that backwater we have to go to next week."


End file.
